Demon Slayer : The Silent Journey

Chapter 64: Fighting the Kocho sisters

[Seiji's POV]

'This is ridiculous.'

*Thud!*

My back hit the ground in a thud of humiliation and defeat. I looked up and saw Kanae looking down on me with sweat falling down her fair face which was glowing pink due to her body temperature.

I thought I would be able to win against her since I now had a fiance and someone I like. With the new commitment, I thought I would fare better and seeing her bare body would no longer throw me off.

But no, a horny man was still a horny man, no matter if he was engaged or had a wife. It's just how we were created, how we evolved.

At the age of 16, I discovered that I might be a scumbag.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern on her face.

'The strongest Hashira, losing due to the allure of a woman. Just great.' I thought and pushed myself off the ground.

Similar to me, Kanae was stronger when fighting against humans and in one on one. Even if she was weaker than other Hashiras, in a duel she was just as strong so I could not quite beat her without using my eyes.

Well, I could but without my eyes, my attacks would lose their accuracy and I could harm her. Imagine I use mixed breathing without my eyes, I would obliterate her without even intending to do so.

And God forbid I won't harm a single strand of her hair.

"Thank you for the spar, I think I'm fine now," I said. I challenged her to a spar, saying that I needed to wash off the sluggish stain on my skills due to the long vacation.

"It's the least I can do," Kanae replied with a small smile.

"You know, you are losing a ton of aura whenever you lose to her." a voice suddenly came from the veranda of the flower mansion. I turned my head and saw Shinobu sitting there.

My eyes did not immediately go to her face though, they first landed on her chest as I thought about how much things could change in just a few months.

The last time I saw them, they were humble B-cup. But now they were proud and confident D-cup. They were not as big as Kanae's but her small stature made them more pronounced.

Still, both of them lose to Mitsuri in this aspect. My future wife was the final boss of tits.

"Not sigma at all," Shinobu said while shaking her head as I contemplated if it really was a good idea to teach her about brain rot words.

"Don't say it like that Shinobu, he is clearly holding back against me. If he really wanted to, he can defeat me anytime." Kanae replied in my stead.

"That's what I'm saying, it's a simp activity."

"Shibi, are you still mad that I didn't get you anything from Tokyo?" I asked and she turned her head with a pout.

"Not really,"

She was definitely still upset about that. I mean, I totally forgot that she asked for something when I left. It was my bad.

Just then, Kanao ran up to me with water in her hand. Her face was still stoic and she remained silent but I could read the emotions on her face now because she had them.

"Thank you Kanao," I said with a smile and took the water from her before taking huge gulps.

After I was done, I wiped my lips and said, "Now that that is done, how about you show me your new insect-breathing style Shibi? I heard that you are quickly climbing up the ranks with it."

"Only if you let me coat the tip of my sword with a paralysis poison," she said with a closed-eyed smile that looked extremely gentle.

I was going to ask why but I was confident that she wouldn't be able to even land a single scratch on me, so I said.

"Sure,"

She beamed a harmless smile before coming up to me on the open ground. Meanwhile, Kanae picked up the silent Kanao like a teddy bear and went to the veranda. She plopped Kanao on her lap and they both watched us from a safe distance.

"Ready?" I asked with a smile. My eyes glowed purple as I took a quick glance at every single inch of her being.

All truths were revealed. The information I got from a glance was akin to someone who spent weeks studying her.

The change in her fighting and breathing style resulted in a change in her body. Her new techniques were imprinted on her.

Her frontal delts (shoulders) were incredibly developed, and so was her triceps. They were denser and many times more powerful than two years ago which hints at her fighting style heavily relying on stabbing.

Her hamstrings and the tendons in her legs were strong as well, telling me that she could lunge at me with incredible speed or she could jump extremely high.

Her forearms were a little different from other swordsmen. They were more attuned to gripping a sword than being dexterous in handling a sword.

All these unique features of her body told me how she was different from the average swordsman. They also told me her full capacity, how strong she could stab, how much force she could produce and how long she should be able to last in an all-out battle. I still did not know how she was going to put together these stats but I was now aware of the overall capability of her body.

I could also see how she trained, and the history of her physique. My mind was already predicting how she would move and fight.

My ears turned red and I blushed due to other things I had seen. Ahem, but it was not time to delve into that.

Another thing that caught my attention was her sword which was the exact replica of her canon counterpart. Even with my influence, it seemed that remained the same.

I could see that her sword was crafted by a master and had a unique design. There was a small tube inside her sword that could inject poison into the enemy. So she was not just coating the tip of her sword with poison.

Even though I saw it, I was not fully aware of how that worked.

"Here I come!!" Shinobu said before she disappeared.

She was actually faster than I expected. I realized that I had not taken into account how truly small and light she was.

But such speed was not enough to even quicken my heartbeat.

She lunged at me while stabbing her sword. I mirrored her movement and stabbed my odachi forward and in a split second, the tip of my sword connected with the tip of her sword.

A shockwave exploded and her movement paused in an instant.

*Boom!!*

It was the same block I used against Giyu but unlike him, Shinobu did not seem shocked. She expected such incredible feats from me so she was not surprised.

She quickly pulled back her sword and then her arm blurred. Multiple stabs came at me, aiming at different vital points in my body. The sheer speed made the air sing a chilling tune.

'Impressive.'

"Water Breathing : Seventh form," I said and my body moved with grace and ease. My mastery over Water Breathing was such that movement flowed through my body without even much intention. Almost like pressing a button and my body automatically moving on its own.

"Piercing Rain Drop,"

I matched every stab that came my way. Water not only adapts but it often mirrors. It had the capacity to become anything. As the saying goes, if you put water into a cup it becomes the cup.

Sparks flew as the tiniest tips of our blade connected multiple times in a show of superhuman precision. We were more precise and accurate than even any machine invented.

"Insect Breathing : First form," she whispered and the exchange stopped.

"Butterfly dance!"

I saw butterflies emerge from her long haori. She pushed herself off the ground and leapt above me.

She looked like a fairy with the butterflies around her.

I followed her until the sun blinded me. When she saw that I was blinded and her position was in line with the sun, she delivered a stab but this time, she twisted her blade.

I tried to block her with the flat side of my sword but the tip of her blade twisted and changed trajectory. Without much effort, I tilted my head and the sword flushed past my ear. It was close enough to even cut parts of my purple hair.

She landed behind me and pulled back her sword with extreme force. I was confused at first until the tip of her blade - which was like a hook due to the thinner body - hooked against my blade and she pulled my sword down.

!!!!

She created an opening. I didn't use my eyes so I was pleasantly surprised.

Then her sword came at me, faster than ever before. It aimed straight at my chest for a larger target. She didn't need to leave a fatal wound, a scratch was all she needed due to her poison.

My eyes allowed me to naturally perceive the action in slow motion but with my sword being pulled down, I could not block. I had no time to dodge either due to the speed of her stab.

Was I going to lose?

..

..

Absolutely not.

I was not like those MCs in anime who got beaten by waifus no matter how strong they were. Being reincarnated and living the fanfiction life was all about destroying the tradition. I already lost to Kanae so ain't no way I was going to lose against Shinobu too.

My hand moved at the speed of sound - like a whip - and I caught her blade. The body of her sword was thin and had no sharp edges so I could grab it with no problem.

"I'm glad to see that you finally found your own path," I said with a genuine smile.

She pushed and pulled at her sword to get it out of my iron grip but she failed. So she returned my smile with a harmless one.

"It was only possible due to your help," she said before tapping her foot on the ground. A sharp blade emerged from the top of her sandals and she kicked at me.

But I easily stopped it with my foot. I already saw all her hidden weapons when I took a glance at her before the fight.

"That's dangerous, and adorable at the same time," I said and I could see veins popping on her forehead.

She didn't like it when I treated her like a little girl. She was a very small girl so naturally, she hated being treated like so.

In the end, she sighed and admitted defeat.

I heard Kanao clapping for me and I looked at her with a fond smile. Her face was void of expression but I saw her eyes shining.

"You did well Shinobu. You have improved a lot." Kanae said to which Shinobu nodded, proud of herself.

Just then, a Kasugai crow flew above us and landed on the roof of the house.

"Kanae Kocho, Seiji Shigan. Master Ubuyashiki summons you for a Hashira meeting!!"

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[With this treasure, I summon the fellow goat reader, divine illustrator JONTY_]

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My patreon will have 8 extra Chapters so it's okay if you join. Still won't recommend though, wait for more Chapters to stack. But if you join, that be dope too.

Emmanuel_Capricorn